Jiang Lan was momentarily stunned by the question, seemingly unable to comprehend how their conversation had taken such an abrupt turn.
“Is it possible, Wife?” Qin Yuehan spoke again, his voice slightly hoarse.
Jiang Lan lowered her gaze to meet Qin Yuehan’s moist peach blossom eyes, then replied gently, “Of course it is. If you desire it, I will make it happen for you.”
Qin Yuehan remained silent upon hearing this, his heart feeling as though it had been filled with honey.
Jiang Lan took Qin Yuehan’s hand and slowly walked with him through the Peach Blossom Forest.
Beneath their feet, the soft, damp soil was carpeted with fallen petals.
Their soft-soled shoes were stained with the colors of the crushed blossoms.
Amid such beautiful scenery, Jiang Lan’s thoughts were entirely focused on Qin Yuehan beside her.
“Wife, would you like to visit my medicine shop?” Qin Yuehan suddenly asked.
Jiang Lan stopped walking at his words, turning to meet Qin Yuehan’s slightly expectant eyes. Her mouth moved faster than her mind as she said, “Of course. When would you have time?”
Qin Yuehan didn’t respond, his fluttering eyelashes concealing a fleeting shadow that passed through his eyes.
“Since Wife doesn’t mind, then I’ll make the arrangements,” Qin Yuehan said.
But he slowly withdrew his hand from Jiang Lan’s grasp.
Jiang Lan’s thoughts were still revolving around what Qin Yuehan had said, and she didn’t notice this detail.
By the time they returned to Jiang Manor, the sky had grown dark.
After several days of cold war between them, they had finally reconciled. After washing up, Jiang Lan couldn’t restrain herself from heading toward the courtyard where Qin Yuehan resided.
However, when she reached Qin Yuehan’s door, she found Qin Zhong standing guard outside.
“Lord, the master isn’t feeling well today, so he ordered me to wait here,” Qin Zhong said, his attitude quite respectful.
In the dim light of the ancient-style courtyard, Qin Zhong’s face was illuminated by the faint light from the room, making it difficult to discern the meaning behind his words.
Jiang Lan looked at Qin Zhong, her gaze shifting to the tightly closed door.
Suddenly, Jiang Lan felt a sense of suffocation that came so swiftly she couldn’t remain in the courtyard for another moment.
She had thought that after speaking those words to Qin Yuehan during the day, what awaited her in the evening would be tender affection between them.
It seemed she had overestimated herself.
“In that case, let your young master rest well,” Jiang Lan said, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, but enough to be heard by Qin Yuehan inside the room.
Jiang Lan turned and left, her steps carrying a sharp edge.
Seeing this, Qin Zhong’s face showed concern as he pushed open the door and entered the room.
Upon opening the door, Qin Zhong was startled to find Qin Yuehan standing right behind it.
“Young master!” Qin Zhong exclaimed.
At these words, Qin Yuehan looked as if struck by lightning, his handsome face revealing an extremely fragile expression.
Jiang Lan had also referred to him as “young master” when she left.
“Qin Zhong, Wife…” Qin Yuehan began to ask, then trailed off.
Qin Zhong frowned slightly at this, looking at Qin Yuehan with confusion in his eyes. “The Lord seemed quite unhappy when she left just now. Young master, you’ve been waiting for the Lord all along, so why did you have me say those things?”
Qin Zhong followed behind Qin Yuehan as they returned to the dressing table in the inner chamber.
At this moment, Qin Yuehan had once again returned to his initial aloof demeanor. The precious Mutton Fat Jade Hairpin was now carefully placed inside a wooden box on the dressing table.
“Qin Zhong, do you think someone can truly fall in love with you all of a sudden?” Qin Yuehan asked, his gaze fixed on his own somewhat stern face in the mirror.
Qin Zhong was momentarily taken aback by the question. He looked at Qin Yuehan’s face before replying, “This servant cannot speak for others, but young master is so outstanding. The head of the household has merely come to recognize your virtues.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Lan returned to the study with somewhat hurried steps. Seeing the bedding piled up in the corner, a mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“009, do you think I’ve lost my mind?” Jiang Lan said as she sat down at the desk and laid out her brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Under the dim lamplight, Jiang Lan thought of her unpredictable husband, yet her brush swiftly outlined the political landscape of this world.
The next day, Qin Yuehan left the residence early in the morning.
Jiang Lan looked at the lavish breakfast spread on the table but had completely lost her appetite.
“Where is the Lord?” Jiang Lan asked, turning to a servant nearby.
“Reporting to the head of the household, the Lord left the residence early this morning with Qin Zhong,” the servant replied respectfully with a bow.
Hearing this, Jiang Lan said nothing more. She picked up her chopsticks alone and ate her breakfast in silence.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
She had been too impatient.
In the court of Ling Country, the ministers knelt in silence on the cold floor, listening to the Empress’s reprimands.
The city of Luohe, under Ling Country’s jurisdiction, had been suffering from floods for over half a month.
Yet the officials in charge of Luohe had done nothing and had even concealed the situation from one another.
It wasn’t until the floods worsened, forcing the people to abandon their homes and beg their way south, that a large number of refugees flooded into the cities near Azure Capital City.
Sitting in the Imperial Academy, Jiang Lan listened as Hu Yue passionately denounced the inaction of the Luohe officials, but her thoughts drifted to the original plotline 009 had first provided.